"It" sets largest horror movie opening of all time

Writer: Farah Hanis

11 Sep – Good news for horror movie and Stephen King fans (bad news for coulrophobics), "It" has become a hit at the box office all over the world!

After a record-breaking North American debut at USD117 million, the Stephen King novel-to-movie adaptation is currently grossing over USD179 million worldwide, taking in an impressive USD62 million from 46 countries for its opening, according to Variety.

"We blew past everyone's most optimistic and aggressive projections and I think there might be room for us to grow this weekend even still," Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution said in a statement.

He added that he was conservative with Sunday projections due to the confounding factors of the film's R-rating, the popularity of late night showings, along with the commencement of football season and Hurricane Irma.

Horror movies don't usually land at the box office like this. Prior to "It", the top opening weekend for an R-rated horror movie belonged to "Paranormal Activity 3", which earned USD52.6 million in 2011; the rest of that list is populated by movies opening at USD41 million or less.

This makes the USD179 million record an unprecedented situation.

Now, in North America, in addition to topping the opening weekend chart for R-rated horror, "It" also has the largest horror opening for any MPAA rating, the largest September debut, and on its way to being the third-largest debut of the year.

Fans can anticipate more adventures involving The Losers' Club in the sequel.

Directed by Andy Muschietti, "It" is the first of a planned two-part series, with the sequel slated for released in the third quarter of 2019.

Featuring Bill Skarsgård as the homicidal clown Pennywise, the film follows the adventure of seven bullied children known as The Losers' Club in their fight against the evil clown. The follow-up will then resume their plights but only with them as adults.

Muschietti had previously revealed that he "wanted to focus on the emotional journey of the groups of kids." Recent updates on the sequel reveal that while adult actors will be cast, the current young stars might still be involved in the new movie, appearing in flashbacks.

For those who haven't watched the movie, hurry over to the cinemas before "It" floats away.